1. Two-step strategies for national intellectual property are prepared

A ‘basic plan (2012~2016) for national intellectual property’ including medium and long-term national intellectual property development strategies is established by two steps of building up the foundation and then forming the environments to make profits.

The national intellectual property committee announced that the basic plan is being established by building up a foundation to carry forward the intellectual property strategies (1st step: 2012~2014) and by building up a mechanism to create wealth through intellectual property (2nd step: 2015~2016).

The 1st step is focused on the basis of intellectual property activity and the forming of a social infra-structure. Legislation and a system are organized for the well-balanced development in each of the areas, i.e. creation, protection and use of intellectual property and the establishment of a virtuous cycle system.

The 2nd step forms the environments to lead to the creation of profits based on intellectual property. Created intellectual property is used to create high values and to connect to re-investment, thereby making the virtuous cycle system. Creative intellectual base growth strategies focused on intellectual property are reflected in the 2nd step.

2. Korean three (3) communication service companies are prepared for a cloud ‘patent battle’ by starting a ‘development battle’ of new cloud technology

Korean three (3) communication service companies have started developing new technology related to cloud computing. These companies attempt to enlarge domestic and foreign markets using intellectual property and differentiate strategies by filing patent applications for the related new technology.

While carrying forward computer businesses, KT, SK Telecom and LG U+ have developed various new technology and application technology and have filed patent applications for these technologies. These companies have the intention to create value added markets by differentiating from competitors and developing patent technology through service specialization.

In the industries, SK Telecom filed the most patent applications for the cloud related new technology. This company recently filed sixteen (16) patent applications by inventing a storage solution (T-FS) dedicated for a cloud service. This storage technology, which was based on the glory based cloud storage technology developed by ETRI (Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute) for five (5) years and then transferred to SK Telecom, has been re-developed to meet with the communication environments.

Under the consideration that only a development of a cloud computing new technology being recently ignited will be soon expanded to a patent battle, LG U+ plans to file patent applications for all newly developed technology if possible.

3. The number of patent applications for medicines using stem cells is greatly increasing

As the research on stem cell medicines has been actively conducted, the number of the relevant patent applications is greatly increasing.

According to KIPO (Korean Intellectual Property Office), the first Korean patent application for a stem cell medicine was filed in 2002 and the number of the patent applications in this field has continuously increased, reaching a total of 281 applications.

Specifically, the number of the relevant patent applications filed in 2010 increased by 62% in comparison with the number of the application filed in 2009.

63% of the total of the relevant patent applications were filed by Korean applicants. Of the Korean applicants, 55% were universities and hospitals, 28% were small and medium companies, and 1% were big companies, which was a very small percent. Classified by technical fields of the relevant patent applications, 43% applications were related to adult stem cells and 36% applications were related to embryonic stem cells of a fertilized egg and these technical fields occupied most of the Korean patent applications.

There is also a feature in that domestic applicants filed relatively many patent applications related to the adult stem cells and foreign applicants filed relatively many patent applications related to the embryonic stem cells of a fertilized egg.

4. A new paradigm of E-commerce, social commerce

- the number of the relevant patent applications is rapidly increasing by two times, in comparison with the number of the applications in 2010

As the social network service (SNS) has been widely supplied, an interest in social commerce, which is a kind of an e-commerce using SNS, is greatly increased.

According to KIPO, the number of the patent applications related to social commerce was 5 in 2005 and has continued increasing to 6 in 2006, 20 in 2007, 34 in 2009 and 52 by June 2011.

In view of the filing ratio of domestic to foreign applicants, 153 applications (94%) were filed by domestic applicants and 9 applications (6%) were filed by foreign applicants.

The technologies related to social commerce can be divided into three (3) technologies, that is, platform/engine related technology for social commerce, business model related technology for social commerce, and other social commerce related technology. Ninety-six (96) patent applications (63%) are related to the business model technology, thirty-eight (38) patent applications (25%) are related to other social commerce technology, and eighteen (18) patent applications (12%) are related to the platform/engine technology.